In an important step forward for global climate action, the Dominican Republic has launched its updated Nationally Determined Contribution, dubbed NDC 3.0 RD-2025, boosting the country’s climate ambition while centering adaptation to counter its high vulnerability to climate shifts.
The new climate strategy was formally presented during the nation’s First Climate Finance Week, an event designed to catalyze support for climate investment and action across the country. Compared to the business-as-usual emissions trajectory that would occur without targeted intervention, the updated plan sets far more ambitious reduction targets: a 27% cut to greenhouse gas output by 2030, followed by a 32% reduction by 2035.
Beyond emissions cuts, the framework prioritizes building resilience across seven high-priority sectors that are critical to the Dominican Republic’s population and economy. In total, it outlines 41 distinct adaptation measures tied to 155 measurable targets, covering water resource management, agricultural production, public health, the nation’s core tourism industry, coastal and marine ecosystem protection, biodiversity conservation, and forest management.
Government officials estimate that full implementation of this comprehensive strategy will require more than $23.7 billion in total investment. To meet this funding need, the nation is pursuing a multi-source financing model that draws on domestic public resources, international climate cooperation, private sector investment, and global climate finance mechanisms.
Dominican authorities emphasized that the revised plan reaffirms the country’s unwavering commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Crucially, it also integrates climate action into the nation’s core national development strategy, public investment planning, and long-term efforts to boost economic competitiveness, aligning sustainability and growth goals for the coming decades.